ZEN TAROT

Tarot has been in existence for thousands of years, since ancient Egypt or perhaps even before. The first known use of the tarot in the West was in the Middle Ages. During those turbulent times, the imagery of the tarot was used as a code in transmitting the teachings of the medieval mystery schools. Over time, tarot has been used in many ways – as a tool for predicting the future, as a lighthearted “parlor game,” a way to gather unseen, “occult” information about various situations, etcetera. Some say that the number of cards is based on the number of steps taken by the infant Siddhartha – later to become Gautama the Buddha – as soon as he was born. He walked seven steps forward and seven steps backward in each of the four cardinal directions, says the legend, and this became the model for the “minor” cards in the tarot. In addition to these fifty-six cards of the Minor Arcana, the traditional tarot contains an additional twenty-two cards, the Major Arcana, which tell the complete story of the human inner journey. From the first innocent step of The Fool, to the culmination of the journey represented by the card of Completion, we find in the Major Arcana the archetypal images that connect us all as human beings. They tell of a journey of self-discovery that is absolutely unique to each individual, while the core truths to be discovered are the same regardless of race, gender, class, or religious upbringing. In the traditional tarot deck this journey of self-discovery was perceived as a kind of spiral, with each Completion leading to a new level on the path, a new beginning with the re-entry of The Fool. In this Osho Tarot deck, however, a Master card has been added. This card allows us to leave the spiral behind, to take a jump off the wheel of death and rebirth. The Master card symbolizes the ultimate transcendence of journeying itself, a transcendence that becomes possible only through the dissolving of the separate, individual ego in enlightenment. Osho Zen Tarot is definitely not a traditional tarot in the sense that you play with prediction. Rather it is a transcendental game of Zen which mirrors the moment, unwaveringly presenting what is here, now, without judgment or comparison. This game is a wake-up call to tune in to sensitivity, intuition, compassion, receptivity, courage, and individuality. This focus on awareness is one of the many innovations to the old systems and thinking of the tarot that will soon become obvious to experienced users as they begin to work with the Osho Zen Tarot.